THE OPHTHALMIC JOURNAL

It’s often this time of year when we start to feel a little run down. Winter is over, but the weather is far from warm and settled. We’ve pushed into the ninth month, but we still have four to go until we get to take a break.

And business is far from slowing down. In fact, with end-of-year private health fund promotions just around the corner, it’s more likely to be ramping up.

On top of that, as our lead news story demonstrates, you may be grappling with serious mental health pressures that are globally impacting optometry and healthcare workers generally.

To this end, for this issue we sought the advice of clinical and coaching psychologist Dr Jo Mitchell as well as physiotherapists Sarah Ashe and Christine Le.

Dr Mitchell provides sage advice for managing the inevitability of change and disruption by shifting the focus from discomfort and resistance to finding opportunities for growth and even reinvention.

Observing the prevalence and debilitating impact of musculoskeletal symptoms among eye care professionals, Ms Ashe and Ms Le have developed two simple, doable movement routines that focus on stability, mobility, and strength. Brilliantly, their article is accompanied by video demonstrations of each exercise, accessible via QR code, so you can be sure you’re precisely following instructions.

Elsewhere in the issue, we have four continuing professional development articles to build your knowledge on refractive surgery, retinal vein occlusions, presbyopia, and dry eye management. With spring in the air, we’ve also got some helpful advice for managing patients with itchy eyes.

And, we have some useful tips for building your business by marketing with artificial intelligence, and by creating a ‘marketing funnel’ to direct a steady stream of patients through the doors of your consult rooms.
Finally, don’t miss our update on increasing efforts to manufacture sustainable frames, lenses, and accessories.

Enjoy!